DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE WASHINGTON, DC 20511 October 07, 2016 Joint Statement from the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US…
Category: Hack
Feds rehire contractor linked to massive OPM data breach
Nicole Duran reports: The Obama administration has rehired an outside contractor that was partly responsible for what many think was the largest theft of personal information from the government in U.S. history, even as it continues to boast of several new steps it is taking to enhance federal cybersecurity. […] One of them is Key…
TalkTalk gets record £400,000 fine for failing to prevent October 2015 attack
From the Information Commissioner’s Office, this announcement about what is a record fine for them: Telecoms company TalkTalk has been issued with a record £400,000 fine by the ICO for security failings that allowed a cyber attacker to access customer data “with ease”. The ICO’s in-depth investigation found that an attack on the company last October could have been…
Surgeon General warns staff that personal information may have been stolen
Eric Yoder reports: The Surgeon General on Monday issued a warning to his staff that is all too familiar to federal employees: Your personal information may have been stolen. In an email, Surgeon General Vice Adm. Vivek H. Murthy told “commissioned corps” employees of the Public Health Service that information, including their names, dates of…
RedHack leaks reveal the rise of Turkey’s pro-government Twitter trolls
Efe Kerem Sozeri reports: Leaked emails from the Turkish government provide new details of how Turkey’s pro-government Twitter troll army targets the opposition and silences media criticism in the media. Last Friday, RedHack, a Marxist hacker group, claimed to have hacked personal email accounts of Turkey’s Energy Minister and President Erdoğan’s son-in-law, Berat Albayrak. They threatened to leak data if Turkey…
California CPA firm hacked to file fraudulent returns
On August 15, 2016, Wheeler & Egger, CPAs, LLP discovered a data security incident involving their firm and some of their clients whose 2015 tax returns were on Extension. After thorough investigation, they have discovered that the perpetrator(s) hacked into their system, and between August 3rd and 9th 2016, fraudulently filed 45 client tax returns. Letters were mailed to…